Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Brendan FarringtonNovember 18, 2015

A bill that would force prosecutors to prove self-defense wasn’t a factor before bringing someone using a “stand your ground” defense to trial advanced in the Senate on Wednesday despite a similar House bill being killed the day before. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal Justice approved the bill on a 5-1 vote. But its […]

Phil AmmannNovember 18, 2015

As the saying goes: “even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.” In a new email, Democratic Senate District 29 candidate Gary Farmer praises the Florida Legislature for “getting it right this time” on gun laws, and not giving in to the powerful National Rifle Association. “It doesn’t happen often in Florida: […]

Associated PressNovember 17, 2015

A push to change Florida’s contentious “stand your ground” law may be dead for the coming year. A Florida House panel on Tuesday narrowly voted against a measure sponsored by Rep. Dennis Baxley that would change the law. The Ocala Republican wanted to require that prosecutors prove a defendant was not acting in self-defense when […]

Melissa RossNovember 12, 2015

The HBO documentary film shot in Jacksonville that tells the story of the Jordan Davis shooting and the trial of Michael Dunn will screen on the Florida State University campus this weekend before it premieres on national television next week. In an e-blast, the group Generation Progress has announced the screening in cooperation with HBO, […]

Julie DelegalNovember 6, 2015

Some whites’ approach to the #BlackLivesMatter movement presumes a zero-sum game: If one group is “awarded” national attention on any issue, the reasoning goes, then other groups by contrast, necessarily must lose something. But #BlackLivesMatter doesn’t mean that only black lives matter. It means, rather, that we can no longer pretend that institutions in our […]

Julie DelegalNovember 5, 2015

Some whites’ approach to the #BlackLivesMatter movement presumes a zero-sum game: If one group is “awarded” national attention on any issue, the reasoning goes, then other groups by contrast, necessarily must lose something. But #BlackLivesMatter doesn’t mean that only black lives matter. It means, rather, that we can no longer pretend that institutions in our […]

Diane RobertsOctober 22, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – Another Special Session! Why, it’s just like Christmas – minus the joy. Minus the presents, too. While the members of the Florida Legislature rake in lobbyist largesse during committee weeks and every other hour that God sends, trawling for dollars during a Session is verboten. This makes them surly. Surlier. They aren’t […]

Diane RobertsOctober 20, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – Another Special Session! Why, it’s just like Christmas – minus the joy. Minus the presents, too. While the members of the Florida Legislature rake in lobbyist largesse during committee weeks and every other hour that God sends, trawling for dollars during a Session is verboten. This makes them surly. Surlier. They aren’t […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 29, 2015

The activists behind a month-long sit-in at the state Capitol two years ago have declared a break from social media, saying “we have lost our way at times.” The Dream Defenders posted the announcement on their website last week. Since then, they’ve had no new updates on their official Twitter or Facebook pages. They will, however, continue blogging, they said. […]

Ryan RaySeptember 23, 2015

Sen. Rob Bradley stepped forward on Wednesday and sponsored the Senate companion bill to a proposal by Rep. Dennis Baxley, father of the state’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law. Bradley – an Orange Park Republican and former state prosecutor – lent his name to Baxley’s push to boost the legal standing of defendants who claim they acted […]

Tag: Stand Your Ground

Senate advancing bill to change “stand your ground” law

Email insight: Gary Farmer praises Tallahassee for “getting it right” on gun measure

House panel votes down revision to ‘stand your ground’ law

Email insights: HBO to screen ” 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets” at FSU

Julie Delegal: Being black matters, researcher says

Julie Delegal: Being black matters, researcher says

Diane Roberts: Charm and grace again flow downhill from Capitol

Diane Roberts: Charm and grace again flow downhill from Capitol

Dream Defenders declare social media time-out

Self-defense enhancement bill gets Senate companion